I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes at him. “Oh, shut up, Jared.” I didn’t care what game we were playing, I was still one of his alphas, even if he didn’t want to acknowledge it.
“Now, kitten.” Jared’s voice was a low growl. He didn’t bother looking at me, but his shoulders tensed and I was sure his eyes were a nice shade of gold right then. “Is that any way to talk to your mate?”
“Will you shut up, please?” I said through gritted teeth, biting back the reminder that I wanted to spit out. I wasn’t his mate — never would be — no matter how much my inner-wolf craved him. This was an act. Something to fool my dad. Nothing more.
My response earned me a few chuckles from around the table, a long, drawn out groan from Erika, and an annoyed huff from Mom. She pursed her lips and cut me a dirty look.
I rolled my eyes. Mom had always wanted me to hook up with one of the pack members, and to say she disapproved of the way I spoke to Jared was definitely an understatement.
Jared looked up, meeting my eyes. His flared brighter, and he said, “No, I don’t think I will. You’re not walking to school.” And then as if it were settled, he grinned at my mom and said, “Breakfast smells delicious, Pam.”
I watched him in stunned silence for a moment, my jaw dropping a little. My blood was boiling. It was a serious effort to calm down and not blurt out all the nasty things I wanted to say, but after a few deep breaths, I managed to shimmer down.
I glanced at the table; Jared and the team were already digging in and although my stomach was rumbling, I turned, heading out of the room. Right then the last thing I wanted to do was sit down with my so called mate and play the sweet girlfriend part. “Come on, Mac,” I said, waving a hand.
I hadn’t even made it to the doorway when Jared’s growled command reached my ears. “Jade, sit down and eat.”
“I want to talk to her,” I said, turning toward him like an obedient mate would do, loathing myself for doing it, and if Mom hadn’t been there watching us, I wouldn’t have, or at least that’s what I tried to tell myself.
Jared dropped his fork, letting it clatter to his plate, and pushed his chair back. His expression was lethal. “I don’t like the idea of you walking alone.” There was an underlying threat to his tone.
“I won’t be alone,” I said. “And besides, we’re just going up to my room for now.”
He opened his mouth to say something else, but I didn’t want to hear it. I channeled my scent, feeling the burn of my imprint as it heated beneath my top, sending out a clear warning for him to back the hell off. He stiffened, and his jaw started to tick. He tried to hold my glare, but he couldn’t, and I watched as his eyes started to drop.
Marcy didn’t miss what was happening. She scrambled from her chair and darted over to me. “Come on, Jade,” she said, nudging me with her elbow, “let’s go.”
CHAPTER 2
~ AIDAN ~
It took five minutes for my head to clear enough to realize that the insistent knocking sound was actually someone at the door, and by that time the knocking had turned into a head-splitting thud, thud, thud. And even then, I stayed in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Slivers of light streamed through the cracks along the edges of my blackout blinds as the sun began to rise. I shifted my pounding head; the glowing red numbers on my alarm clock read 6:05. I knew I should probably get up, see who the hell thought banging on my door at sunrise was a good idea, but honestly, right then I didn’t really care.
I felt like hell. My head was throbbing as if it had its own pulse, and my eyelids were sore, heavy. I’d only been asleep for about fifteen minutes and that fifteen minutes had been the longest I’d managed to sleep at once in the last three days. Between the pack, the threat of the werecougars, and the constant, relentless urge to run out, find Jade, and drag her — kicking and screaming, if needed — away from that damn enforcer, sleep had become a luxury; a luxury that I was seriously craving.
I groaned and snagged a pillow, putting it over my head, hoping to drown out the banging. Maybe if I ignored it, whoever it was would just go away.
It didn’t work.
The thudding came again, loud enough that it felt as if it were shaking the entire house. Where the hell was Dominic? He was supposed to be dealing with the pack and their petty issues. He was supposed to be giving me time to sleep.
I heaved myself out of bed, stumbled over a pile of clothes, and banged into my dresser. “Dammit!” I growled, kicking the pile of laundry out of my way. The room I now called my bedroom was small, cluttered, with a king size bed and a worn mahogany dresser taking up most of the space.
I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my sour mood. It helped — a little. Gritting my teeth, I headed downstairs, not bothering to get dressed. Whoever it was wasn’t staying.
The banging came again, hard enough to make the windows rattle. I took the last few steps two at a time and crossed to the door in a few long strides, throwing it open. “What the hell do you want?” I growled, before it was even fully opened.
“Missed you, too, pup.” The deep, grumbling voice made my entire body stiffen and the temperature around me rocketed up at least twenty degrees. My inner-wolf woke up, clawing at my chest, itching to break free, and I swallowed hard, fighting him back.
I looked up, slowly. I didn’t want to. I wanted to slam the door shut, but I couldn’t make myself do it. The two men standing on the deck were people I had wished to never have to see again. Chris and Tommy, my dad’s most trusted enforcers, the ones that had helped Dad teach — torture — me as a kid, looked almost bored standing in front of me. My eyes swept over them. They looked the same as I remembered: Chris, tall and thick, with a chiseled face and goatee, and Tommy, short, stocky, and bald. They were twice my age and had been with my dad since I was born.
“Get the hell off my deck.” My tone was calm and controlled, masking the blazing anger that filled my core. I moved forward, filling the doorframe, rolling my shoulders back and lifting my head, keeping my hard glare fixed on them. My nerves were already fried, my patience at a breaking point, and this unwelcome visit only managed to send my stress level sky-rocketing.
Tommy smirked. “Your parents sent us.” He held out a hand, a folded piece of paper clasped between his fingers.
I narrowed my eyes, glancing down at the paper, and my skin shuddered as my inner-wolf tried to push free. It took a moment for my groggy, pounding head to catch up, but when it did, I groaned. Mom. I knew I shouldn’t have called her yesterday. And I sure as hell shouldn’t have told her where I was or about the pack I had taken over, but after seeing Jade, the way Jared touched her, the way she smiled, that damn kiss … I’d caved. I needed advice. I needed …
Tommy waved the paper in front of me, waiting for me to take it. “You going to just stand there, or let us in, kid?”
“Haven’t decided yet,” I said, snagging the paper and unfolding it. I scanned the simple note, my jaw tightening with each word I read. Your mother filled me in. Use Tommy and Chris however you see fit. They are there to help and they will stay as long as you need them. I know I haven’t said this enough, but I’m proud of you, son.
It wasn’t signed, but I would have known my father’s sloppy scrawl anywhere. I read the note twice before crumpling it, balling it in my hands. Proud of me. What a joke. My father didn’t even know the meaning of that word, I was sure of it. I lifted my glare back up to theirs. “Turns out I don’t need you guys. Go home.” It was a command. They heard it. They felt it. For a quick second, I saw surprise pass across their faces, but then their wolf nature took over. Their shoulders started to sag and their gazes started to drop. I channeled my scent, giving the command a bit more punch and as I did, their eyes fell to the deck.
“Your mom filled us in,” Chris said, his voice hoarse, strained. “We’re here to help, kid.”
I didn’t budge from the doorway. It wasn’t that I didn’t need the help, because I did; it was the principle. My father had absolutely
no right to send anyone from his team. Not without speaking to me first. I hadn’t asked for his help, and the last thing I wanted was to owe him anything. My jaw clenched and my face heated. This is my pack — my territory.
Chris snuck a quick look at me and jammed his hands in his pockets. “Come on, Aidan. We’ve been driving all night and I’m starved. At least let us eat and grab some sleep before you throw us out.”
I wanted to stand firm, slam the door, and kick them out of town. But even if I wanted to, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Guilt wormed its way through my stomach. I knew it was stupid. I shouldn’t have felt guilty about sending them away. It wasn’t as if I’d ever been close with either of them; my feelings for them had always been a tossup between sparks of admiration and all out hatred. And the last thing the pack needed right now was two more hard-headed enforcers hanging around. As it was, I was already struggling to keep control of the fragile balance I had attempted to create here. But even if I knew that having them stay, even for a quick bite, wasn’t a good thing, I still felt my resolve slipping. The idea of having someone that I knew, really knew, close by, even for a short time started to eat at me. I was pretty sure I was going to regret it, but I stepped back from the door, letting them in. Really, what harm could a little food and sleep do?
They stepped into my house, keeping their gazes tight to the floor. “I’m going to take a shower,” I grunted, shutting the door and nodding towards the kitchen. “Food’s in there. Don’t leave the house.”
I didn’t wait for a response before heading upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. I went straight for my bedroom, grabbing my cell phone from the dresser, and fired off a quick message to Dominic telling him to get here, now, and then I scrolled through my contacts. When I found the number I was looking for, I started to pace the narrow length of my room, glaring at the phone in my hand. I attempted to rack my thoughts, organize them, sort them, and line them up, but it was a useless effort. The only thing that kept surfacing in my exhausted brain was that my father had no right to send anyone to me. This was my pack, not his. My territory, not his. My life. I let out a frustrated growl. I knew part of the anger that was building in my chest was from a lack of sleep, but I couldn’t seem to stop it. I glared at his name again and the anger burned red-hot. I sucked in another breath, let out another growl, and scrolled down a few more names. I found the one I wanted, tapped on it, and brought the phone to my ear.
She answered on the first ring, most likely waiting for my call. “Hi, sugar.” Her voice was soothing and warm, so warm that I could actually hear her smile.
“Is there something you forgot to tell me, Mom?” I asked. I tried to sound firm, but I couldn’t, and before the full question was out of my mouth, I felt a grin tugging at my lips. Being annoyed at her was impossible, even if she was out of line. I dropped down, taking a hard seat on the edge of my bed.
“I’m going to assume my gifts showed up this morning,” she said with a wicked giggle.
“Gifts?” I chuckled, but there was no humor in the sound; it was more stunned than anything. “On what planet are Chris and Tommy considered gifts?”
She laughed at that, the throaty sound rupturing through the speaker. “Be nice, Aidan. They volunteered. Believe it or not, I think they missed you.”
For a second, I was taken aback. I couldn’t imagine Chris and Tommy volunteering for anything that involved me. “Yeah, sure they did,” I said, disbelief thick in my voice. I paused for a second, pulling in a deep breath, trying to pick my words carefully. Letting the breath out with a long sigh, I said, “Look, I know you mean well, but you can’t just send me your enforcers. I’m an alpha now, Mom. I have my own pack, my own team. You and Dad need to respect that. You can’t just butt in, trying to fix everything.”
She made a tsk sound. “Oh, Aidan, I think you’re forgetting that you’re also my son.”
“They can’t stay,” I said adamantly. “I’m feeding them, letting them sleep, and then they’re leaving.”
“You can’t send them back,” she countered, her voice losing all motherly compassion, taking on the firm tone of an alpha. “Trust me. Chris and Tommy are exactly what you need to fix that pack of yours.” She paused for a second, inhaling a deep breath that sounded like static in my ear. “And they’re what you need to get that mate of yours back.”
My grip on the phone tightened, the casing digging into my palm. “She’s not my mate.” I felt myself say it, except I couldn’t hear my voice. The words sounded like a wave crashing in my ears — reality trying to drown me in my own stupidity.
Mom sighed, a gusty sound. “She’ll come around. I don’t know a single female that can run from her mate. Believe me; I tried to run from your dad. I couldn’t run from him anymore than I could run from the alpha in me.”
I swallowed hard, trying to fight the uneasiness that squirmed within me. I wasn’t so much worried that Jade would run from anything, it was more that she would do something stupid just to spite me — to get even. If I knew anything about her, it was that she was the kind of person that held a grudge.
The thing was, most alphas never found their true mate, or if they did, they couldn’t act on it. My parents were one of the few. I had always believed that my mom won the games simply because she couldn’t walk away from Dad. Her inner-wolf wouldn’t let her.
And I knew — my inner-wolf knew — Jade was my mate. The feeling was profound, unexplainable, and undeniable. I felt it with every fiber of my body. I hadn’t truly understood the feeling until she walked away. I’d known I liked her; hell, I’d even known that I could love her, but I didn’t understand how much, how deep the feelings ran until I’d stupidly pushed her to the point that she turned her back on me. I knew she felt it, too, even if she was hell bent on fighting it. And just like that, another piece of my resolve snapped and broke.
“You couldn’t have sent Lance with them, could you?” I asked, hating how bitter I sounded. Damn, was I really even considering this?
That earned me another laugh. “If you needed a father figure I would have. It sounds to me like you need brute strength and discipline with that pack of yours.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said, running a hand through my hair. I hated to admit it, but maybe, just maybe having some help wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. Surely it would give me a bit more time to try and fix things with my mate if nothing else.
“So you’ll be letting them stay.” It wasn’t a question. The certainty of the statement was as if she knew she had already won.
Shit! If Jade was pissed at me now, what would she be like with Chris and Tommy here? But even though I knew she would probably kill me for bringing new members into the team without asking her first, I found myself relenting, and I said, “For now.”
CHAPTER 3
~ JADE ~
Marcy sat on my unmade bed cross legged, hugging one of my pillows to her chest. The crisp white comforter was balled up beside her, twisted around the emerald sheets, and she nudged at them absently, as if she were trying to push the mess of blankets out of her way. She looked a bit tired, and a lot flustered, but then, that wasn’t really anything new for her. Her long blond hair was down, hanging around her shoulders, and she was in black leggings and an off-white sweater dress. She wasn’t looking at me; instead her stare was fixed on a strand of photo booth pictures that was wedged in the dresser mirror. They were of us, four silly pictures from a shopping trip last summer.
On the floor beside my bed was another pile of blankets — Jared’s makeshift bed — a telltale sign that we weren’t actually sleeping together. It was a serious effort not to rush over and pick up the pillows and blankets. But if Marcy had noticed them, she wasn’t letting on, and the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to them. My dresser was scattered with his things — deodorant, cologne, cell phone, wallet, keys. His clothes were strewn all over the place, and I found myself hoping she’d chalk up what looked like a bed on the floor to
Jared being a slob and not see it for what it really was.
I leaned against the closed door to my bedroom, gazing out the window at the forest, listening to the sounds of the team joking around and eating downstairs. I didn’t really know what to say, and by Marcy’s silence, I figured she felt the same. I opened my mouth, and then closed it. Each time I tried to say something it just felt … wrong. It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say, because I did. Loads. I just didn’t know how to say everything or even if I should.
I sighed, a heavy sigh, and asked, “Why are you here, Mac?”
Marcy shifted her gaze, focusing somewhere around my belly. “I … Jade …” She huffed and started twirling a long strand of hair around her finger. “Wow, I didn’t think this would be so awkward.” She huffed again, letting it draw out until she’d expelled every drop of air from her lungs.
“Did Aidan send you?” I asked cautiously, folding my arms over my chest, more to stop the chill that slid through me than anything else, as I braced myself for the answer.
My question caught her full attention. She screwed up her face, still staring at my belly, and blurted, “Really? You think I’m here because of Aidan? God, Jade, I can’t believe you’d even ask me that.”
She was lying. I heard it in her outburst, the way her voice rose and fell and trembled. I could smell it in the air, the salt, the thickness, the staleness. And it stung. Bad. Worse than I really thought it should. “Mac, please don’t be like him.” My voice was soft, filled with the sting that was piercing my heart. “Don’t lie to me.”
“Dom sent me, okay?” She met my eyes then, hers were rimmed with glossy tears, and she squeezed the pillow tighter. “Maybe it was Aidan’s idea, maybe it wasn’t. I really don’t know whose idea it was. But I swear that’s not the only reason I’m here. I miss you. So much crap is happening. Trev hasn’t been home in two days now, and I think Dom is going out today, too, and Aidan has been a moody prick since you left with Jared and … and … I need someone to talk to. I need my sister back.”
Deadly Mates (Deadly Trilogy) Page 2